태양을 피하고 싶어서 아무리 달려봐도
No matter how much I run to escape the sun
태양은 계속 내 위에 있고
The sun stays on top of me
너를 너무 잊고 싶어서 아무리 애를 써도
No matter how much I try to forget you
아무리 애를 써도 넌 내 안에 있어
No matter how much I try, you are inside me

태양을 피하고 싶어서 아무리 달려봐도
No matter how much I run to escape the sun
태양은 계속 내 위에 있고
The sun stays on top of me
너를 너무 잊고 싶어서 아무리 애를 써도
No matter how much I try to forget you
아무리 애를 써도 넌 내 안에 있어
No matter how much I try, you are inside me

태양을 피하고 싶어서 아무리 달려봐도
No matter how much I run to escape the sun
태양은 계속 내 위에 있고
The sun stays on top of me
너를 너무 잊고 싶어서 아무리 애를 써도
No matter how much I try to forget you
아무리 애를 써도 넌 내 안에 있어
No matter how much I try, you are inside me

(rap)
너무 깊이 박혀 뺄 수 없는 가시같이
Like a thorn that is stuck too deeply to be pulled
너무 깊히 다쳐 나을 수 없는 상처같이
Like a wound that is too deeply injured to be cured
너라는 사람 도무지 지워지질 않지
You simply cannot be erased
헤어져도 같이 살아가는 것같지
Even as we are apart, it is as if we are living together
눈물로 너를 다 흘려서 지워 버릴수만 있다면야
If I could drain you out and erase you with tears
끝없이 울어 내 눈물 강을 이뤄 흐를 정도로
I will cry endlessly to have a flowing river of my tears
많이 울어서라도 너를 잊고 제대로 살고 싶어
I will cry that much to forget to you, and live my life

Translation notes: The juvenile lyrics is not the result of poor translation; this is one of the dumbest lyrics that the Korean ever had to translate.

In 15 words or less: Pioneer of K-pop manhood

Maybe he should be ranked higher because... Is there anyone in K-pop who has gone farther internationally than Rain?

Maybe he should be ranked lower because... Is he anything more than a pretty face? Did he achieve anything musically?

Why is this artist important?

Why is Rain important? Part of the answer is quite obvious. Before PSY burst onto the scene, Rain was the forerunner of the international expansion of K-pop. When he was not earning a spot in Time magazine's most 100 influential people in the world, Rain filmed a movie that may as well be a feature-length tribute to his ripped abs (i.e. Ninja Assassin.) His repeated appearance on the Colbert Report also made him a cult favorite, penetrating American culture like no other K-pop artist before him did.

But all of the foregoing pales compared to Rain's most significant achievement: he was the blueprint of K-pop manhood. Before Rain, K-pop's international outreach was mostly consisted of female artists, whose appeal did not require them to overcome any pre-existing stereotypes. (If anything, the prevailing stereotypes played in their favor.) In contrast, it took male K-pop artists a longer time to concoct the perfect blend of K-pop and masculinity.

In the end, Rain was the winning formula, the ideal mixture of boyish face, winsome smile, chiseled body, sensitive singing and sensual dancing. In this sense, even after Gangnam Style, Rain remains much more influential than PSY. Since Rain, every internationally-oriented male K-pop star aspired to be some version of Rain; PSY cannot say the same. Considering that those K-pop stars, collectively, are in the process of adjusting the international standard of what constitutes manliness, we may not have seen the full reverberation of Rain's global influence.

Interesting trivia: Rain finished his military duty on July 10, 2013. During his service, he violated the military code of conduct by meeting with his girlfriend, the top actress Kim Tae-hee, during an official trip outside of the base. As a punishment, Rain was censured for seven days.

Got a question or a comment for the Korean? Email away at askakorean@gmail.com.

"Since Rain, every internationally-oriented male K-pop star aspired to be some version of Rain; PSY cannot say the same."

I would submit that PSY is an inimitable one-of-a-kind and no matter how talented or driven - no one could ever become a decent version of him. Rain, on the other hand, while extremely talented - can be successfully copied to one degree or another.

Rain is very handsome, I have to admit. Like before going to the army, he was stunningly beautiful (for a guy that is). Well, from what I've heard he did violate the military conduct, but not to see his girlfriend, but to visit some bar with.... girls. Not sure how the facts could change so much over time.

As a member of Colbert Nation, here a link to Colbert's version of the song:

Oh yea. My first K-pop obsession, along with BoA back in 2004. My Name and It's Raining was my jam. Never saw Ninja Assassin, but he isn't a bad actor, from what I remember from "Full House" and "Cyborg". I still have my signed "It's Raining" CD and photobook. Even with the military fiasco, I still wish him well.

I do agree that Rain started the "ripped 6-pack" male idol trend. Groups like 2PM and Beast, plus all the shirt-ripping/lifting, pelvic-thrusts in male idol choreography after 2005.

I'm surprised Rain is ranked so high in Tier 2. Bit much to call him "Best of an Era". If anything, he belongs in Tier 3 with Boa. "Strong Impact" suits him better. His forays into the American scene were mediocre at best. That TIME 100 poll takeover by fans was embarrassing and shows how much TIME magazine has gone to shit. Furthermore, that Colbert appearance was forgettable and if anything, exposed Rain as a generic foreign pop-star. I've always cringed at his self-proclamation as "World Star". Yes, his attempt at the American market was note-worthy as a first of many to come from Korea, but he should still be in Tier 3.

Rain is whole package. The best Korean singer, dancer and actor. he's one ultimate performer! I could go on and on about him you know.... and ran out of adjectives... What can I say? For me this man's got everything.... except me of course....

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The Korean is a Korean American living in Washington D.C. / Northern Virginia. He lived in Seoul until he was 16, then moved to Los Angeles area. The Korean refers to himself in the third person because he thinks it sounds cool.